For Blue Skies
by SuzanaDrobnjakovic
Summary: What would happen if Jane did leave with Casey in season 4? [Rated T for now-may change] **THIS STORY IS ON HIATUS**
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I know it's _really_ short-but it's only to test out how many people would be interested in this story. The next chapters are going to be more in the present rather than an explanation like this one. Leave reviews & tell me what you think!**

* * *

It had been exactly a month and a half since her best friend had left Boston. She had left with the love of her life to go be happy with him. To live the perfect life. But what she left behind was the complete opposite of happy and perfect.

Jane's absence didn't seem to affect anyone too much at the point, they were all used to it now. It was hard on those who were around her daily at first, but now they seemed okay. Korsak and Frost were partners now, Angela still worked at the cafe, and everything else was back to normal. Except there was still one thing that had not gotten better.

That one thing was Maura. Ever since Jane skipped town, she was merely a ghost. It was only on a rare occasion that she would smile, and when she did it was because Angela told her to. The hours she worked became longer, as she didn't want to go home to hear Angela talking about the things Jane told her about on their daily video chat. However, when she did come home, it was late at night, and she would go straight to her bedroom and sit on her bed in the dark silence. Left to wonder if Jane thought about her. Maybe if she cared to listen to Angela talking about the video chats she would have a definite answer, but she wasn't sure if that's what she wanted.

Everyone could see it when they looked into the Medical Examiner's eyes. The pain, the emptiness. To try to cheer her up, Frost and Korsak would ask her for useless facts about anything. She knew they were only doing it to make her feel better, and that made the pain worse. As she spit the facts out in her monotone voice she only got sadder, and occasionally she would stop as if she was waiting for Jane to interrupt informing her that nobody cared.

The past month and a half had easily amounted to the worst event of Maura's life. Having the person she cared about the most abandon her was worse than finding out her biological father was Paddy Doyle. In fact, this was worse than when she almost lost her leg and died in the woods. And who was there both times to save her? It was the curly-haired brunette herself. Now if Maura were to have another near death experience, she wasn't sure that she'd want anyone there to save her.

There was only one person who could heal the pain she felt, only one person who could make her happy again.

Maura's life without Jane Rizzoli was most definitely a living hell.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for your reviews, I really appreciate them! I was asked if there was going to be Rizzles in this story and I honestly don't have a definite answer, there probably will be, but it will be much later in the story.**

* * *

Maura sat up in bed after she turned off her alarm clock's obnoxious tone. Once she stretched her arms, she stood from the mattress and walked through the doorway, where she stopped dead in her tracks. She heard Angela laughing, but that laughing was accompanied by another laugh.

Jane's laugh.

But the excitement quickly faded when she heard a glitch in the laughter from a poor connection on the video chat. How was she supposed to leave her bedroom without having to look at that stupid computer? She stepped back and shut the door before quickly getting ready for work. Once dressed, she took a deep breath. Soon the doorway was behind her, and she rushed through the large house with her purse in hand.

"Oh, look, Jane! It's Maura!" Angela sat at the formal dining table and turned to Maura as she heard the heels clicking on the tile of the kitchen floor. Maura refused to look at the older woman and kept walking. "Maura, come on, Jane and I are chatting early today so you can chat too."

Maura stopped at the front door and looked down at her hand that held the knob, "I have to get to work, Angela."

And the door slammed shut.

* * *

She pulled up to the crime scene and slowly got out of her car with a deep sigh. She still loved what she did, but it just wasn't the same anymore. Once she joined Frost and Korsak they explained the situation, saying they thought that it was a suicide. Maura could already tell that it was, but as always it could not be for certain until she examined the body and performed the autopsy.

"There was a note too," Frost began, "it's considered evidence so they already bagged it. Guy said something about how he just couldn't be happy anymore. We got in contact with this girl he mentioned in the letter, she said they broke up about a month and a half ago. Strange how one person can have such an effect on another's life, huh?"

Maura remained looking down and sighed.

"Do you think it's suicide?"

She shrugged, "looks like it. But I can't be sure."

"Poor guy."

Once Frost had walked back over to Korsak, Maura stared closely at the body. But it wasn't the body she was interested in-it was the man himself. His girlfriend left a month and a half ago, he must have been broken like she was. Why hadn't Maura been driven to that point yet? Jane had been gone just as long as his girlfriend, but why hadn't Maura become that sad?

* * *

"Maura?"

Maura looked up from the corpse that lay on the metal table in front of her to see Angela. "What?"

"I want to apologize. I know caught you off guard this morning. Maybe we can try again later?"

"You just don't get it do you?" The blonde laughed angrily.

"I suppose I don't."

Maura clenched her eyes shut in an effort to refrain from yelling, because Angela Rizzoli was too damn nice-but it didn't work. "Jane left me! She left! She left everything behind! And for what? Casey? I've been there for her for _years_! Years that he was not! I was her shoulder to cry on the first time he left her! And he just shows back up and takes her away! And she let him!" She paused for a moment to calm herself down. "She didn't...she didn't even say goodbye to me."

Angela walked past the empty tables in the morgue to Maura and tightly hugged her as she cried. "If it's any consolation, she asks about you every time we chat."

Maura pulled away from the hug. "No...no it doesn't help at all. And I would enjoy it if you'd please go back to the cafe and leave me alone...with this dead man."

Once Angela left, Maura looked down at the man before her. She had just finished his autopsy, and as the team assumed, his death was definitely a suicide. Though what he did was dark, she still envied the man. He no longer had anything to worry or stress about. Because now that he was dead, he had no more obligations.

And after thinking about it long enough, Maura knew for certain that she wouldn't end her own life. No-Maura Isles most definitely would not end her life simply because her "best friend" left. And that's when it came to her. She wasn't as broken as the man that Jane left, because part of her knew that the chapter of her life that included Jane was over. Maura needed to see this as a fresh start. She needed something new in her life to give her a reason to smile, a reason to happily get out of bed in the morning.

And that's exactly what she did that night when she went to the Dirty Robber.

* * *

**Thank you guys so much AGAIN. This chapter may not make too much sense because it's 2:31 in the morning right now, but hey at least I updated.**


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since Maura decided she wasn't going to be upset over Jane. She tried to forget about things by meeting men, but it didn't work out too well. Every time she met someone, she would find something wrong with him. It was always either an odd habit he had that she pointed out, which made them angered, or it was something that they did that reminded her of Jane that caused her to bail.

Regardless, Maura's plan wasn't going too well.

She stood in the kitchen that morning before she went into work as she made her espresso. The house was quiet, not that she would complain about the silence, but it had been this quiet since she spoke to Angela last week in the morgue. The woman's presence in the house had become nonexistent.

But that was good, right? Maura didn't have to listen to her laughing and happily talking to Jane anymore. Yeah, maybe she liked hearing about how great everything's going for her in Afghanistan, but it still wasn't fair. Wasn't Jane at all upset about what she had done?

"Maura!"

Maura looked up from the counter to see Frankie standing there looking at her like she was crazy.

"What, were you in some kind of trance over your coffee?" He laughed.

"It's, um, espresso. And I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Uh...current events. Did you need something, Frankie?"

"I _was_ going to ask if you wanted to come with me to get coffee before work, but clearly you already have some. We can just do it again some other time."

Maura nodded, "yeah, that's fine."

Frankie turned and began walking towards the door before he turned back to Maura. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm as okay as I can be right now." Had Maura said she was okay, she'd be lying.

The door shut and she sighed deeply as she stared down at the cup of steaming liquid. She couldn't help but remember all of the times Jane had teased her about her espressos, and for a second she caught herself smiling while she reminisced. Maura quickly turned and dumped the contents of the cup down the drain in the sink and left for work, leaving behind a mess-something she wouldn't ordinarily do.

* * *

Maura rolled her eyes after walking into the morgue to see Dr. Pike standing over a dead body. "What are you doing?"

"I am performing an autopsy, Dr. Isles." The doctor said without looking up.

"Who told you to do that?"

"I did." A voice from behind Maura spoke.

She turned to see Korsak standing in the doorway.

"Come with me, we need to talk."

* * *

"You're not fired, Maura, you just need a break."

Maura leaned against the front of her desk as she processed all he had said.

"It's going to be tough without you here, but we have other examiners and doctors that together can do your job while you're gone. It's only a couple of weeks. You need personal time."

"Personal time is what I get when I'm in the morgue with the bodies! This job is all I have, _please_ don't take that away from me."

"You haven't been yourself since she left. And I understand that, but you instantly buried yourself in your work. Go home, take a break. Maybe you could try talking to her?"

Maura angrily snatched her bag off of her desk and walked out of her office quickly. She rushed through the building, all that went through her head was how she wouldn't be allowed to come back for 3 weeks. And once she sat in her car, the tears began flowing like waterfalls.

First she lost Jane, and now she lost her job. Even if the job part was temporary-she now had nothing. She had even less of a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

* * *

It was after consuming more alcohol than she should have that Maura began to realize the downward spiral she was on. She sat in the booth and cursed under her breath about Jane. And when she woke up the next morning laying over the blankets on her bed and in the same clothes as the day before, it became quite clear that the next 3 weeks were going to be a lot rougher than she thought.

"Good morning." A voice whispered.

Maura sat up and turned to the direction it came from and saw Frankie, just as she did yesterday.

"You were pretty hammered last night, so I brought you some coffee." He set the cup on her bedside table.

"Thanks," she groaned. "Did you...did you take me home?"

Frankie nodded. "I slept in the guest house with Ma. She's pretty upset about something, you have any idea what that might be?"

"Me. I yelled at her last week. She hasn't spoken to me since."

"She won't be mad forever. Why don't you talk to her later?"

Maura laid back down. "Why does everyone keep telling me to talk to people? First Korsak, now you? Is the whole police department having secret meetings about this? I'll be just fine on my own."

Frankie sat on the bed beside her and lightly placed his hand on her knee. "I don't think you will be. If you were on your own last night you would've woken up in a gutter or something."

She rolled over facing away from him without saying a word.

"I'm here for you, Maura. Ma's here for you too. Just let us in and we can help you."

"I'd prefer help from someone who doesn't have the last name 'Rizzoli', actually."

He stood from the bed, attempting to conceal his anger. "Doesn't change a thing."

* * *

The next week flew by. Maura had barely left her bed and slept most of the day away. She was woken up one evening by Frost, who insisted they go out and get a drink and be social. And after the week she had, getting out of the house actually seemed nice.

Little did Maura know, he was on a mission of his own. A mission to find someone for her. He closely examined the men in the bar while Maura rambled on about who knows what. When he finally saw a good contender, he knew he now had to think of a reason to get Maura to talk to him.

"See that guy over there? He's been staring at you all night."

"Creepy." Maura shrugged as she took a small drink.

"He looks like your type. Go talk to him."

"What? How do you know my type?"

Frost laughed and shrugged, "he's alone at a bar, and you're here with a coworker who's only here to pair you up with someone."

She furrowed her eyebrows and laughed slightly.

"Go."

She took another drink before standing and going to sit with the man. Frost watched as they smiled and talked. He felt like a proud parent. And he felt even prouder when Maura returned to work 2 weeks later talking about the guy-and everyone quickly knew his name was Chris. She smiled all of the time now rather than sulking around. It was like the old Maura had come back.

* * *

Maura was sitting on her couch reading one evening after a date when Angela came through the back door, full of excitement. The two hadn't really talked about the incident in the morgue, but they just slowly began talking again. Everything in Maura's life was going back to the way it was.

"Maura! Maura?" She called as she walked into the kitchen.

Maura closed the book and set it in her lap, "what is it?"

Angela quickly walked and sat on the couch beside her and smiled.

"What is it, Angela?" She nervously laughed.

"They have a wedding date!" The older woman squealed.

Maura faked a smile, "when is it?"

"The 30th of this month! And they're coming home for the ceremony!"

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**Okay, I tried to make this chapter a little longer, and as I get further into the story I'm sure they'll get a lot longer. Thanks again for the reviews, they really do motivate me to keep up with this story! You guys are the best! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Previously...

_"What is it, Angela?" She nervously laughed._

_"They have a wedding date!" The older woman squealed._

_Maura faked a smile, "when is it?"_

_"The 30th of this month! And they're coming home for the ceremony!" _

* * *

Maura stood from the couch and walked slowly to her room, shutting the door lightly behind her. She had pretended to be excited, but on the inside she just wanted to take the book from her lap and rip it up to shreds. Jane hadn't been on her mind since the 2nd date she had with Chris, and now she wasn't just brought up, but she was coming home. For her wedding. Her plane was coming in tomorrow night, and Maura planned on avoiding as much contact with the brunette as she could.

* * *

Frankie came into the morgue like an excited child, taking Maura by surprise. "I didn't mean to scare you, my bad. I guess Ma told you?"

Maura kept her eyes down on the body and nodded.

"Aren't you excited?"

She finally looked up and made eye contact with Frankie. "Why would I be excited for Jane to come home and leave again?"

He shrugged. "I just thought maybe you'd be happy to see her or something."

"I would be happy to see her had she said something to me before she left."

"Maybe it was just as hard for her as it was for you."

Maura laughed as she looked back down. "I doubt it."

* * *

Angela rushed through the house that next evening while Chris and Maura were in the kitchen cooking. First, she couldn't find her shoes. Then, she couldn't find her keys. And now, well-Maura didn't know what she was looking for anymore.

"They have a place to stay, right?" Chris asked quietly to Maura as he diced vegetables.

"I'm assuming so."

"Maura! Have you seen my purse?" Angela called as she ran into the kitchen. Maura simply raised her eyebrows before Angela looked down on the counter to see the bag.

"You put it there when you were looking for your keys." She laughed.

"I'm leaving! We'll be back here in an about an hour or two." She rushed to the door.

"Wait!" Maura walked over by Angela. "'We'?"

"I thought you would want to see-"

"No, I do not want to see her, and I certainly do not want her in my home."

Angela pursed her lips and crossed her arms, "you aren't going to say anything to Janie the whole time she's home? Are you going to go to the wedding?"

Maura said nothing. She had practically forgotten about the wedding at this point. Now she was just really worried about the moment where she and Jane would have to speak to one another.

"I am going to call you when I leave the airport. And you're going to give me a definite answer on whether you want to see your best friend or not." She walked out of the house and shut the door.

Chris remained in the kitchen and watched as Maura deeply sighed and stood beside him. "I think you should have them over." He smiled.

"That's very nice of you, but you don't know the half of it."

"Because you haven't told me _any_ of it. Every time I ask you say you don't want to talk about it."

"Well I'm sorry that I don't want to talk about my best friend leaving me without saying goodbye." She began cleaning the counters from the mess they had made whilst cooking. "Now you know all you need to."

"Maura, do you have feelings for her?"

Maura looked up quickly in shock, her mouth falling slightly open.

"Well?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Whenever she is brought up you get really weird. You hate that she left you to be with the man she loves. Normally best friends get excited for each other over that kind of thing, at least that's what I thought."

"Get out." Maura said as she looked back down.

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"I said _get out_!" She snapped. After taking a few breaths to calm down she spoke again. "How dare you ask me something like that."

Chris began walking towards the door and turned back to the angered Maura.

"Why the hell are you still here? I told you to leave!"

"Because you never said no."

Once the door was shut Maura snapped again. She drank the rest of her glass of wine, and refilled the glass until the bottle was gone. Her anger mixed with the amount of alcohol she consumed resulted in the throwing of things around the kitchen. She remembered the sound of plates shattering and utensils clanging on the tile floor. Once she calmed down, she found herself on the floor amid the mess. Her eyelids began to grow heavy, and her head fell slightly to the side as she drifted off to sleep.

She was awoken later by her phone, unknowing of how long she had been asleep. Still drowsy, she answered the phone and mumbled to Angela. And when the call was over, Maura laid on her side on the floor and went back to sleep.

* * *

"Maur?"

Maura's eyes fluttered open, and she saw the familiar face looking down at her. She quickly sat up and moved to the other side of the bed, staring at Jane. "Why...why are you here? Why am I in my bed? I was in the kitchen."

"When we got here you were passed out on the floor. Casey helped me bring you back here."

She couldn't stop staring at Jane. Who the hell was this woman? Her hair was now straight, and she was wearing more makeup than she had ever seen Jane wear.

"Are you alright?"

Maura stood from the bed and stumbled out of her room on her way to the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and started toward the front door when she was stopped by two strong arms that held onto her upper arms.

"Maura I can't let you drive in your condition."

She turned and was face to face with the man she had come to despise more than anything. "Do _not_ touch me!" Once she broke free of his grasp she was out the door, and the last thing heard was the screeching of her tires as she sped off.

* * *

**Okay- so a few things need to be said**

**1. I SUCK. I was writing this based on a prompt someone sent me on Tumblr about Casey and Jane and Afghanistan-so that's why it was on my mind. I totally forgot that the base wasn't there, my bad. :) (also the prompt was something wayy different than what I actually wrote about)**

**2. Korsak wasn't ordering Maura to leave for the 3 weeks, but he was merely suggesting it just really pushing her to do so. I'm aware that he has no jurisdiction over Maura or Pike, though I admit I did kind of make it seem as though he was forcing her to leave. I kind of figured that Maura would be the kind of person that even in said situation couldn't deny that she needed some personal time.**

**And as always, thank you all so much for the reviews! I love reading them. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Previously...

_Maura stood from the bed and stumbled out of her room on her way to the kitchen. She grabbed her purse and started toward the front door when she was stopped by two strong arms that held onto her upper arms._

_"Maura I can't let you drive in your condition."_

_She turned and was face to face with the man she had come to despise more than anything. "Do not touch me!" Once she broke free of his grasp she was out the door, and the last thing heard was the screeching of her tires as she sped off._

* * *

"Why would you let her leave?" Jane groaned as she held her head in her hands. She, Angela and Casey all sat in Maura's living room in silence, hopelessly waiting for the Medical Examiner's return.

Casey scoffed. "I didn't see you running after her."

"Would you two shut up?" Angela yelled. "Maybe we should call the police."

"No, we can't...she'd probably lose her job." Jane sighed.

"She deserves it." Casey mumbled.

"Would you shut up?" The brunette stood and walked into the kitchen. "Ma, where are your keys."

"They're in my purse, do you want me to come with you?"

Once she had the keys in her hand she started toward the front door. "I need to do this alone."

* * *

Jane drove all over town, thinking about every place she could that Maura might be at. Her first stop was the Dirty Robber, but nobody in there had seen her. Next she went to the graveyard by the stone that said 'Baby Maura Doyle', and found nothing. She felt as if she was driving in circles, and maybe she was. Calling anyone for help wouldn't do any good, this was all Jane's fault-and she was completely aware of that. Another hour of driving and Jane saw something that caught her off guard.

She had driven past her old apartment building, and the window of her apartment was glowing from lights on the inside. She quickly parked and looked around, and began running toward the building when she saw Maura's car. Jane ran up the steps, skipping every other step. Once she was outside the door, she lightly knocked. After she heard light footsteps, there was a click as the door was unlocked. And when the door opened, it was slammed shut, followed by the clicking sound of the lock.

"Maura? Maura I know you're in there!" Jane knocked again, except this time she didn't hear a sound. "I'm not afraid to kick this door down, so you'd better open it." She tried to laugh a little, but instead her vision became blurred with tears at the realization of the situation. "I...I'm sorry I didn't say anything before I left, alright? I just...I couldn't bring myself to get out of the car. I sat outside your house for an hour that day, but I didn't want to go in and say goodbye. C'mon, we can talk about this. Let me in." She waited in the silence for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief at the sound of the click. She put her hand on the knob and pushed the door open.

There was no furniture. Where her couch and television sat was a large empty space with a blanket spread out on the floor. There was a table in front of the fire place that held candles, which provided the light in the room. Maura sat on the blanket, hugging her knees and refusing to look up at the other woman. Jane shut the door and walked over and sat on the blanket with the blonde. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Jane decided to finally break the ice. "I'm sorry."

No response.

"Maura, I said I'm sorry. Can you at least say something-anything in return?"

"You...you left me. You didn't say anything to me then, why should I say something to you now?"

Jane sighed, knowing that Maura was right. "You heard what I said outside the door." She glanced over at the shorter woman and sighed. The room fell silent again but this time Jane let the silence linger a little longer before saying anything. "Who was that guy on your porch?"

Maura looked up, eyebrows furrowed. "What guy?"

"Tall, dirty blonde hair, he was there when Ma brought Casey and I home. He said that things inside were pretty bad and he didn't want to leave. He was standing by the window watching you."

Her honey-colored curls bounced as she tilted her head backwards in frustration. "That's Chris. I was...kind of seeing him. I met him a few weeks ago."

"Definitely seems like a keeper," Jane laughed slightly.

"And I'm sure he really wants to come back to me after a psycho meltdown like that one."

"Hey, he didn't leave, he stayed to make sure you were okay."

Maura stood and began pacing as she laughed.

"What are you laughing at? You're kind of scaring me a little."

"Do you hear yourself, Jane? Do you hear the words coming out of your mouth? It's pretty ironic that you'd tell me to stay with him because he didn't leave."

Jane didn't respond.

"He didn't leave like you did. It's simply astonishing that you would be the one to come find me. I want you to leave right now and go to my house, and you're . When you get there, you're going to take Casey and get the hell away from me like you did months ago."

The brunette nodded as she stood and walked toward the door, but stopped before she reached it.

"What are you waiting for? I'm not going to tell you to come back."

"Why do you have it?"

Maura cocked her head in confusion.

"My apartment. Why'd you buy it?"

She was silent for a moment. "I believe that I asked you to leave."

Jane opened the door and turned back, making brief eye contact with Maura, who stood in the room with her arms crossed like an angry child, and left.

Once the door slammed, Maura began to break down. Her legs gave out, and she fell to her knees, forced to face more of her bottled up emotions.

* * *

Jane was awoken in the pitch black hotel room by the vibrating of her cell phone. She couldn't remember the last time this happened. She squinted as her eyes got used to the light of the screen and saw that it was her mother calling. "Hello?" She groaned.

"Jane, something really bad happened."

Jane quickly sat up from the bed sensing the panic in her mother's voice. "Ma? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Your old apartment building caught on fire this evening. Maura was inside. I'm in the hospital waiting room right now...I think you should come."

"I'll be right there."

* * *

**I actually did not intend to end this chapter with a cliff hanger but it just sort of happened. I love cliff hangers anyway. ;)**

**I do want to say that I don't want Jane to seem like such an antagonist, though she is a little bit in this story, as I don't have anything against her character. I have just read so many fanfics where Maura does something to hurt Jane that I wanted something new.**

**And as always, thank you so much for all of the reviews! You guys are awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

Previously...

_Jane was awoken in the pitch black hotel room by the vibrating of her cell phone. She couldn't remember the last time this happened. She squinted as her eyes got used to the light of the screen and saw that it was her mother calling. "Hello?" She groaned._

_"Jane, something really bad happened."_

_Jane quickly sat up from the bed sensing the panic in her mother's voice. "Ma? What's wrong? What happened?"_

_"Your old apartment building caught on fire this evening. Maura was inside. I'm in the hospital waiting room right now...I think you should come."_

_"I'll be right there."_

* * *

Angela sat in the waiting room, waiting for news on Maura, and waiting for Jane to show up.

"Ma? Ma!" Jane ran over to her mother who now stood to hug her. Once the embrace ended Jane sighed. "How bad is it?"

"I don't know, I got here after they brought her in."

They two sat down and waited for a moment, hoping every doctor that came out was going to be talking to them. "Do they know what happened?"

"Not entirely, but they know the fire started where she was. Luckily a neighbor called soon enough to prevent damage to any other homes."

"Wait...only my old apartment was damaged? None of the others in the building?"

"Just your's."

"Anglea Rizzoli?"

Angela and Jane looked up to a young-looking doctor who held a clipboard in his hands. Angela stood and shook his hand. "I'm Dr. Hartford. Maura's conscious now, but can't seem to remember what happened in the room, which is normal in situations like these. She has a few mild burns that over her arms and stomach, but the most severe are on her legs. Walking is going to be hard for her for the next 10-15 days, so we'll be giving her a wheelchair if she'd like to use it. We're going to prevent as much scaring as we can with treatments, but there's no promises."

"Can...can we see her?" Jane asked.

The doctor nodded and Jane began to follow him, and when she turned to her mother she discovered that the woman had sat back down.

"Ma, are you coming?"

Angela shook her head.

Jane let out a sigh, she followed the doctor again but knew she was the last person Maura would want to see.

"She's right in there. I have other patients to check on, so I'll be back a little later." The doctor left Jane standing outside Maura's door.

After debating with herself briefly, she decided to go in.

Maura had her head back and her eyes were closed.

"Maur?"

"How bad is it?" She groaned, still not opening her hazel eyes.

Jane walked closer to the bed, examining the burns that covered the blonde's legs, mostly on her knees. "Honestly? Not as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"I don't want to look."

"Did they tell you about walking?"

"Nothing I couldn't already tell myself."

Jane sat beside Maura on the bed. "What happened in there?"

"You left me again. I wanted you to stay." She raised her hands to quickly wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Jane could feel the tears filling her own eyes. "I'm so sorry Maura. I shouldn't have left. I never should've left."

Maura looked up at the other woman and furrowed her eyebrows before placing one of her hands on Jane's. "Jane, it was just a fire."

"No, this is all because I left in the first place. I shouldn't have. I was just so happy that I found someone who loved me as much as I loved them, and I didn't want it to let that go. If I didn't leave you wouldn't have been in my old apartment, and the fire never would've happened. Ma told me how bad things were when I left. Now I've hurt you emotionally _and _physically. I can't forgive myself and you shouldn't either." Jane pulled her hand from under Maura's and wiped her own eyes.

"I bought it because I hoped you would realize your mistake and come home."

"What?"

"You asked why I bought your apartment. I purchased it with the hopes that you would return home as soon as you left."

Before Jane could say anything, the door opened.

"Can I please be alone with Maura?" Chris asked. He stood in the doorway, flowers in his hand.

Jane looked at Maura before doing anything, but when she said nothing, she stood and left the room.

* * *

"Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself?" Angela asked as she walked toward the door.

"I'll be fine." Maura smiled from the couch. She had gotten home a couple of days ago, but since then she had been monitored 24/7 by Angela.

"Call me if you need me."

She was finally alone, something that hadn't happened since before the fire. The silence brought a peaceful feeling to her, rather than the aching and sorrow it once did. Her knees felt much better than before, which urged her to try to stand on her own and began taking a few very slow steps, facing the slight pain in in her skin. She made her way to the bathroom slowly and stared at the bathtub and shower. The doctor told her not to take showers so soon, as standing for long periods of time wouldn't be as easy. But she figured if she could walk from her couch to the bathroom, she could stand in the shower for 10 minutes.

* * *

Jane walked up the pathway to Maura's house, a small potted plant in her hand. She rang the doorbell and waited, and when there was no response and unlocked the door. "Maura?" She walked into the kitchen and set the plant on the counter. "I brought you a plant...it's fresh lavender. I think that's the one you like...right?" When Jane then heard the shower running, so she sat on the couch to wait. She heard a faint noise, and a few minutes later she heard it again. It was Maura.

"Angela?"

Jane stood and walked to the bathroom door that connected to Maura's bedroom. "It's Jane, she's not here, are you okay in there?"

There was hesitation before her reply. "Uh, no."

Jane got closer to the shut door. "What do you need?"

"I was in the shower, but the pain in my legs was too much and I fell. I couldn't feel how bad it was because of the medicine I'm on, but it wore off and now it really, really hurts."

"Did you get hurt at all when you fell?"

"No, I just can't get up. The pain's too much."

Jane slowly began opening the door, "I'm coming in, okay?" She saw a towel folded on top of the counter and unfolded it before opening the shower door and wrapping it around Maura. She helped her stand and slowly walk to sit on her bed. "Do you want me to get you something to wear?"

"I had clothes in the bathroom, if you can bring them to me I can get dressed myself." Maura watched as Jane walked into the bathroom and got her clothes, and couldn't help but smile to herself at how concerned she was over something so small.

* * *

**Sorry this update took a little longer than normal, but I've been quite busy lately. I decided not to leave this chapter at a cliff hanger, I have no idea why, but I kind of wanted to end with something a little happier for the first time. Honestly I didn't really think this many people would enjoy my story, so thank you all for the follows/favorites/reviews! It means a lot!**


	7. Chapter 7

Previously...

_"Did you get hurt at all when you fell?"_

_"No, I just can't get up. The pain's too much."_

_Jane slowly began opening the door, "I'm coming in, okay?" She saw a towel folded on top of the counter and unfolded it before opening the shower door and wrapping it around Maura. She helped her stand and slowly walk to sit on her bed. "Do you want me to get you something to wear?"_

_"I had clothes in the bathroom, if you can bring them to me I can get dressed myself." Maura watched as Jane walked into the bathroom and got her clothes, and couldn't help but smile to herself at how concerned she was over something so small. _

* * *

Maura's wounds continued to heal as time went by. Her legs weren't as bad now and she was able to walk without experiencing much pain. During this time, Jane seemed to have disappeared with Casey as they pulled together the rest of the wedding, which was now only 2 days away. They had been planning to have a small ceremony, the opposite of what Angela wanted for her daughter, but Jane insisted that she was having the small wedding. The wedding was going to be held at the same church that Tommy Jr was baptized in, and the reception was going to be at the Dirty Robber. It wasn't too complicated, and that's why Jane was okay with it.

* * *

"I can't believe she won't let me help one bit," Angela sighed as she sat in the kitchen while Maura cooked. "So what if I want my only daughter to have a big happy wedding with everyone she loves to celebrate the big day with her. Is that too much for a mother to ask?"

"You and I both know Jane's not one who likes attention centered on herself. Which is pretty ironic since she's very good at attracting it." She paused a moment and focused on cooking before looking back up. "Do they even have a wedding party?"

Angela shook her head. "Not a single bridesmaid or groomsman."

"If that's what she wants there's nothing anyone can do."

"Are you going to go?"

The Medical Examiner looked up, a confused expression upon her face. "I...I don't know."

"Maura, you should go. Jane's your best friend."

"_Was_ my best friend. She chose Casey over our friendship, among other things."

"Why don't you try to put yourself in her shoes-"

"If I was Jane, I never would have left in the first place. She left everything she loved behind just because of some guy. Jane loved her job, everything about it. I can't comprehend why she would just pack up and leave for some guy who showed up out of the blue."

Angela smiled sympathetically at Maura. "Because she loves him. Haven't you been in love before?"

Maura shrugged and continued what she was doing. A few moments later she was interrupted again by a knock at the front door. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Jane standing by herself with a large cardboard box in her hands, and was barely able to see the brunette's face. Maura stepped out of the way and let Jane through.

The box hit the floor with a loud thump and Jane let out a loud sigh.

"What's that?" Angela asked as she emerged from the kitchen.

"Wedding stuff. I need opinions from people that aren't Casey." Jane shrugged.

"Is the dress in there?" Angela squealed as she opened the large box and pulled out a smaller pink box. She quickly opened it and pulled out the dress, a slight frown forming.

"What's wrong with it, Ma?"

"It's...different than what I had imagined." The dress was plain white and knee-length and had a very faint floral pattern. Angela knew at this point that Jane would never have the princess-y wedding that she wanted for her only daughter, but she still had some hope in the dress.

"It's a small wedding, I didn't see the reason in getting a big fluffy dress."

"I know, I know." Angela sighed as she continued staring at the dress as the held it out in front of her.

"I like it."

The two Rizzolis turned their heads to Maura, who hadn't said a word since Jane's arrival.

"It's simple, yet elegant."

"Thanks Maura." Jane smiled

* * *

The rest of the evening the three spent talking about the wedding and what Jane and Casey had put together. Though it was not much to talk about since it was such a small and plain ceremony, they still found things to converse about. But as the night went on they grew more tired. Angela went to bed first, leaving the room and going outside and into the guest house, leaving Maura and Jane alone in Maura's living room.

Jane cleared her throat once her mother was gone and looked at Maura. "You, um, still haven't RSVP-ed. Are you coming to my wedding, Maura?"

"I do not know. We're working on a big case right now I don't know if I'll be able to make it. I'm going to be very busy."

"Frost and Korsak are coming. I'm sure you can too."

"But they don't examine the bodies. This is a very difficult case, multiple victims possibly killed by the same person, and I can't know that until I examine each body carefully which could take a long time. So until my work's done and I give them the information they need, they can't do much."

Jane was silent for a moment. "I miss it. I miss the thrill...and the pride I'd get when we figured everything out, you know?"

"But you're with Casey now. Aren't you happy, Jane?"

"I am happy. I'd just be a lot happier if I didn't have to give up my dream job. Sometimes I wish-nevermind. It's late, I should go." Jane sat up and began putting her shoes on.

"You wish you never left with him?"

She froze and turned to the blonde. "Are you coming to the wedding or not?"

Maura decided to drop the subject of leaving with Casey before things went downhill. However, she wasn't sure if Jane's topic would have a much better outcome. "I don't think so."

"Yes or no, Maura."

She didn't want to make the decision now, or ever for that matter. But now that the event was so close, she had no choice but to decide now.

"Maura? Are you coming or not?"

Maura snapped out of her deep thinking and looked into Jane's dark brown eyes. "No. I'm not going to your wedding."

* * *

**Sorry that update took so long-and that this chapter isn't the best. I didn't want to have the wedding in this chapter (yes, it is going to be in the next chapter) and so I had to figure out a way to make this chapter a lot longer. Long story short: I had really bad writer's block.**

**Also, I need to talk about something I've been seeing a lot in the reviews. I do _NOT_ hate Maura Isles. She is my absolute favorite fictional character, I love everything about her. I'm just trying to change things up, and things will get better eventually (key word: eventually). And another thing, she didn't purposely start the fire. That part was very unclear, and that was my fault. **

**Thank you all for everything!**


	8. Chapter 8

Previously...

_"Yes or no, Maura."_

_She didn't want to make the decision now, or ever for that matter. But now that the event was so close, she had no choice but to decide now._

_"Maura? Are you coming or not?"_

_Maura snapped out of her deep thinking and looked into Jane's dark brown eyes. "No. I'm not going to your wedding."_

* * *

She didn't want to think about what today was. It was just another day for Maura Isles, it was nothing more. If anything, today would be the day that Maura could link 4 deaths to one killer, and that would be the big event of the day. It did not matter to Maura that it was Jane Rizzoli's wedding day. Not one bit

Maura sat up in bed and could feel the heat on her chest from the hives as she lied to herself. It was a really important day because Jane Rizzoli was going to become Jane Jones, which Maura could honestly deem that an ugly name. It didn't fit the former detective. Jane Rizzoli was Jane Rizzoli, and that's how everyone knew her.

She left the warmth of her bed and walked to her closet to get dressed for her day, as she was not going to spend a day in bed like she did yesterday. Today was the last day Maura was going to think about the stupid wedding. And a quick glance at her chest was all she needed to see the hives emerge even more.

* * *

The day went on, and Maura hadn't heard from anybody. She left her house before Angela had woken up to avoid another lecture. She loved the woman dearly, but she simply could not handle another talk about restoring the friendship. She had barely looked at any of the bodies at all since she stepped into the morgue that morning, due to her mind being cluttered with all of the thoughts.

Once she finished the first two autopsies, she decided it was time for a break. This was something Maura rarely did. When it came to her job, she did not hesitate and procrastinate. But this time was different. She sat at her desk in her scrubs, doing nothing but staring at the wall. A quick glance at the clock was all she needed to remind herself to get back to work, and once she did she told herself she wouldn't stop until she was completely done.

However, every few minutes during the next two autopsies she looked at the time, thinking of what must be going on with Jane at every moment. Was she having her hair done now? Was she doing her makeup?

"Maura!"

Maura jumped at the sudden noise and looked up to see Jane in her white dress and high heels in her hand running into the morgue. Her hair was curly like she used to wear it all of the time, but most of it was pinned back. However, she still had on a lot more makeup than before.

"I..." Jane tried catching her breath. "I need help."

"And you think that I can help you?" Maura raised an eyebrow in confusion.

The brunette nodded quickly. "I need you to just listen to me for a few minutes. Then you can go back to cutting open that body, alright? That's all I ask."

"Jane, I can't just stop where I am I-"

"It's not like he's going to die on you. C'mon, I don't have much time."

Maura looked down at the body and back up at the bride. "You have a few minutes."

They walked the short distance to Maura's office and Maura sat behind her desk, expressionless.

"I can't marry him." Jane blurted out.

Maura sat up, shocked at what she had heard. "W-What? Why?"

"I can't go back to the base, I can't. When we got here, I felt so at home, I felt like me again. What do I do?"

The ME was silent for a few moments deep in though, but she wasn't thinking of ways to help Jane. "I don't know. It's not my place to tell you what to do."

"I know, but what would _you_ do?"

"I'd follow my heart. If I felt like marrying Casey was the right thing to do, then I'd do it. But if I felt like staying here in Boston was what I needed to do, then I would tell Casey that. Maybe you two can work something out. You certainly don't have to live at the base with him just because you're married. You can work something out. Do what makes you happy, Jane. Don't let anything or anyone stop you."

Jane walked around the desk and bent down to tightly hug Maura. It was slightly uncomfortable for both at first, seeing as they hadn't done this since before Jane left, but then it felt like it used to-comforting. "Thank you." She stood again and walked to the doorway before she turned back to the blonde. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Maura stood. "I'm sure. I still have that body to examine."

"Alright." Jane nodded and left.

* * *

Jane felt as though everyone could hear her heartbeat as she took the first step down the isle. She could feel all eyes in the church staring at her, which any other bride would love, but not Jane. Once she stood face to face with Casey, her smile began to fade as her mind raced. She never made the decision, she had hoped that it would come to her before she went down the isle but it didn't.

So now here she was. Standing before friends and family about to make a life-long commitment to someone, and she wasn't even sure if this was what she wanted to do.

"Jane?" Casey whispered as he smiled.

Jane snapped out of her thinking, did she really just miss everything Casey had said? Did he already say _everything_?

"I...can't go back to the base." Jane whispered, a happy smile still plastered on her face.

Casey furrowed his eyebrows slightly, "Jane..."

Her smile slowly began to fade. "I had no life there. You were living your dreams while I left mine behind. This can't happen. I can't do this." She turned and took her high heels off before running back down the isle without turning back to Casey or looking at anyone in the pews.

* * *

Jane opened Maura's front door quietly, as it was now pretty late. She had spent the past hour and a half in her car outside the house trying to figure things out, and she felt she had finally come to a conclusion. "Maura?" She called as she walked into the home. Jane saw Maura sit up on the couch, startled at the sudden noise, and before she could open her mouth her heart dropped. Because another figure sat up, and it was Chris. The man she had somehow grown to hate despite the fact that she had barely spoken to him before.

"Jane, wait!" Maura stood from the couch as Jane opened the front door. "Don't go!"

"I thought you two were broken up." She sighed as she walked outside.

Maura gently shut the door and continued walking behind Jane. "Not officially, we just...took a break. Why did you come here?"

Jane shrugged. "I needed to talk to you."

"About what?"

"It's not important anymore." She turned to walk back to her car.

"You can't do that!" Maura yelled. "You cannot be mad at me for trying to make myself feel a little better just because it involves Chris when you left the country to be with Casey! That's not fair!"

The brunette nodded. "...I...I guess I have to respect that."

The only sound for a few minutes was the sound of the crickets chirping around them. "What did you need to talk about?" Maura asked while she walked closer and lightly put her hand on Jane's bare forearm.

Jane looked down at the concrete beneath their feet and took a deep breath. "We weren't going to come here for the wedding at first, but I said I wanted to do it here so I could be with my family. And when I got here, it took a little bit of time for me to feel at home. I tried going to the police department to try to find that feeling, and nothing happened. But the minute I stepped into your house, I felt it. And when I sat with you in your room as you slept, despite the circumstances at the time, I felt secure. And while I sat in my car thinking for a while before I came inside just before...I finally realized the truth. It's not my family, and it's not the police department that make this place home, Maura. It's you."

* * *

**Well that happened. Anyway, thank you all again for the reviews/favs/follows. It all honestly means a lot to me. This chapter took longer than usual to write, and I think you can probably imagine why.**

**-Also, some of you have been questioning this Chris fella, and he's an OC of mine. I just randomly made him up for the story, that's all.**

**I don't know how soon I'll be able to update next, I'll try to make it ASAP, but a lot's going on in my life right now so it's very difficult to update. **

**I hope you all have a great day (or night, depending on when you read this)! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Previously...

_The only sound for a few minutes was the sound of the crickets chirping around them. "What did you need to talk about?" Maura asked while she walked closer and lightly put her hand on Jane's bare forearm._

_Jane looked down at the concrete beneath their feet and took a deep breath. "We weren't going to come here for the wedding at first, but I said I wanted to do it here so I could be with my family. And when I got here, it took a little bit of time for me to feel at home. I tried going to the police department to try to find that feeling, and nothing happened. But the minute I stepped into your house, I felt it. And when I sat with you in your room as you slept, despite the circumstances at the time, I felt secure. And while I sat in my car thinking for a while before I came inside just before...I finally realized the truth. It's not my family, and it's not the police department that make this place home, Maura. It's you."_

* * *

Maura's jaw fell open and her eyebrows raised as she comprehended what Jane had said. The words replayed in her mind what felt like a thousand times.

"Maura, say something."

"...what would you like me to say?"

Jane sighed, somehow feeling more nervous than she did before the wedding. "What's on your mind?"

"A lot of things are on my mind."

"Like what? C'mon, you're killing me."

Maura looked away from the detective's brown eyes briefly to try to think of what to say. "I'm confused about what exactly you mean when you say that I make 'this place' home."

The brunette shrugged. "I came back to feel at home, to feel the security and comfort I felt before I left. And I only feel that way when I'm around you. Still confused?"

Maura blinked a few times before looking back up. "I should get back inside, Chris is waiting."

"Great." Jane sarcastically laughed. "I tell you that and you're just going to go back there and hookup with Chris?"

"Actually, I'm going to tell him to go home. So I can rest."

"And you have nothing to say about anything that I just told you? Nothing at all?"

"I...I need to think about it." The ME turned to walk inside.

"Why?"

She turned back and let out a deep breath. "Before you I had a...self-contained life. I had never had a best friend until you came along, or anything close to that. I got so used to having someone to confide in, someone to care about other than Bass or myself. I don't want to get too attached to you again because I'm scared you're going to leave me...again." Maura spun around oh her heels and began walking toward the front door of her home.

"I'm not going anywhere, Maur." Jane called as she heard the door open. The door shut shortly after, and she slowly made her way back to her car.

* * *

Jane Rizzoli was now living in her hotel room by herself, since Casey had left to go back to the base.

Oh, and she was single too.

The police department happily offered Jane her previous job, as she was one of the best that they had seen in a while, and today was her first day back. And instead of getting dressed, she laid in the middle of the queen-sized bed and stared at the ceiling. Of course she had missed the job and couldn't wait to get back to doing what she loved. But that wasn't why she was hesitant.

Jane was hesitant because she hadn't seen Maura in 5, almost 6, days. Which was nothing compared to the months that she was gone, but this time it was much different. The Medical Examiner had said that she needed to think about what Jane had said, but during their previous friendship, the brunette could not recall a single time that Maura had never taken this long to make a decision.

* * *

"What's all this?" Jane asked as she walked into the room where the desks were. She noticed that the board was covered in pictures and writing, and this was not the same case Maura had been working on days ago. "Did you guys start a case without me?"

"Good to see you back, Janie." Korsak smiled. "This is our newest case, we've been on it for 3 days now, and I think we're getting close to something."

Jane took off her blazer and put it on the back of her desk chair. "So I have nothing to do now that I'm back?"

"Unfortunately, no. But you _can_ go down to the lab and get the results from the most recent test from Dr. Isles."

Jane scoffed and looked forward at her computer, and above the screen she could see Detective Frost smirking. "What the hell do you two know?"

"We know there's tension between you two again and-"

"No, Frost, there's not tension between us." The brunette interrupted. "And you two aren't going to send us off together to get in a car wreck or something. No meddling. We can solve our own problems, alright?"

The two men stared at Jane as she looked down at the papers on her desk.

She stood and walked past Korsak. "But I'll get those lab results so I'm not bored out of my damn mind."

* * *

Jane walked through the building in search of Maura. She walked into the morgue slowly, remembering the last time she was in this room-before the wedding. She was panicking, and had no idea what to do, so she instinctively came to Maura.

"I'm busy, Detective, I have no time to chat." The blonde monotonously said as she closely examined the dead woman's arm, not even looking up.

"I-I don't want to 'chat' with you, I need the test results for Korsak."

"Hm, just running errands nowadays?" She looked at Jane briefly before looking back down at the arm. "And I already delivered them this morning."

"Dammit" Jane mumbled to herself. She walked into the room and sat on the closest metal table to the door. "Maura, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Instead of glancing up, this time Maura stood and removed her rubber gloves.

"For whatever I did that made you upset."

"I'm not upset, I'm just a little stressed. This hasn't been an easy case."

Jane looked down momentarily and played with her thumbs. "Wanna go do yoga?"

"You're joking." Maura stared at the detective and once she noticed the lack of laughter she raised her eyebrows. "You're...not joking."

"You can...drag me along while I pretend to hate it...even when I _do_ find it pretty relaxing." Jane smiled.

At this, Maura couldn't refrain from smiling. "I'll go get my purse from my office."

* * *

It had been 4 minutes, and counting. Jane remained on the metal table waiting for Maura to return so they could go spend time together, like they used to. _It shouldn't be taking this long. _Jane thought. She hopped off the table and made her way to Maura's office, noticing the building was strangely quiet.

And her question of why the blonde was taking so long was answered when she saw the woman sitting at her desk, while a man stood behind her with a gun to her head. But this wasn't just any man.

"You move, I shoot."

Jane slowly put her hands in the air as she glared at the man.

"You got your gun?"

She shook her head.

"Keep your hands up, Detective."

"Why are you doing this, Chris?"

"Many reasons." He shrugged. "Let's make our way to the morgue." He grabbed Maura's forearm and pulled her up forcefully, and now Jane could see that he tied her wrists together. "I bet you wish you hadn't told your little lab techs that you no longer needed them tonight, don't you Dr. Isles?"

* * *

**So I know right now, you guys might be thinking that I am mimicking the hostage situation from the season 1 finale, but I promise you it's not like that. **

**Sorry this update took awhile, again I've had some serious writer's block recently.**

**And would it really be an author's note if I didn't thank you guys for everything? (No, it most certainly would not). So...thank you!**


	10. Chapter 10

_"You move, I shoot."_

_Jane slowly put her hands in the air as she glared at the man._

_"You got your gun?"_

_She shook her head._

_"Keep your hands up, Detective."_

_"Why are you doing this, Chris?"_

_"Many reasons." He shrugged. "Let's make our way to the morgue." He grabbed Maura's forearm and pulled her up forcefully, and now Jane could see that he tied her wrists together. "I bet you wish you hadn't told your little lab techs that you no longer needed them tonight, don't you Dr. Isles?"_

* * *

While Jane slowly walked to the morgue, Chris walked behind her, his gun to Maura's head as he tightly gripped her forearm. Once inside he shut the door and instructed Jane to sit on the metal table. She slowly got onto the table, remembering when she was sitting here moments ago waiting for Maura.

Jane swallowed hard before speaking. "Give me a reason. One reason."

"Maura get on the table." He demanded, not paying attention to Jane.

The Medical Examiner struggled slightly as her hands were tied, but eventually was sitting on the table. She looked at Jane, whose hands were still in the air.

"You want a reason, Detective?" He held the gun back up at Maura as he stepped away. After a few steps, he stopped. "I was happy. I had finally found the girl of my dreams. Beautiful, smart-everything. She was a little down when we met, but I made her happy, didn't I, Maura?"

Maura had no response.

"Didn't I?!" He yelled.

"Y-yes!" Maura said back, her voice shaking.

"She tells me about how her best friend packed everything up and left town, with no goodbye or anything. We were happy, and everyone knew it. That's how I got down here, your good pal Vince let me in because he knows that Maura and I are in love. Anyway, we had the perfect relationship, and all of a sudden you pop up out of nowhere and Maura flies off the handle. Not only this, but she starts pushing me out of her life the more you two talked." He looked back at Maura. "You were sad about how someone you loved left you. Imagine how I felt when the love of my life blew me off for her best friend!"

The room was silent for a few minutes before Jane's deep voice spoke. "Chris?" She asked, the fear in her voice on display. "Would...would you mind if I covered the body?"

"Yes, I would mind."

"I would do it, but you have my hands tied." Maura shook her wrists in her lap. "Just untie me for a second, let me cover it."

He looked at her for a moment, as if he was considering it.

"Please? It has to be done in a very careful matter, the DNA could get mixed up and the whole case would crumble." Maura was thankful that she never told Chris about the hives that would show up on her chest whenever she told a lie."You know how important my work is to me."

"Maura, I can't let you do that just because Janie over here is uncomfortable."

"It's not just Jane. I'm uncomfortable too. It'll take me two minutes and you can walk me over there."

He sighed and stepped to Maura, standing behind her and untying the rope. He quickly picked his gun back up and forcefully grabbed her forearm as they began to walk over to the table. Chris stopped completely when he heard Jane make a noise. And when he turned around, he could see that she had began untying her own wrists.

Jane's heart raced as he turned, she frantically moved her wrists more and more, ignoring the gun held up at her.

"Don't you fuckin' move." He snarled at Maura before charging toward Jane. He blindly shot, hitting Jane's right shoulder. Then when he got closer, he hit her head with the side of his gun, knocking her down off the table. She laid on the floor, wincing from the pain of the gunshot and her head.

Jane felt the man above her fall forward slightly, and felt blood dripping onto her. It took a moment for her to process what had happened and she quickly scrambled back, not moving her right arm. She could now see the scalpel lodged in the side of his neck, and Maura standing behind where he was, breathing heavily.

Chris completely collapsed and after a few moments Maura rolled the body over to check his pulse. "He's dead."

"Jesus, there's a lot of blood."

"I stabbed his carotid artery." She walked behind Jane and helped her up before examining her shoulder. "Entrance wound...and exit wound." She sighed and smiled in relief.

Jane weakly smiled back as Maura guided her out of the morgue, holding onto her tightly.

* * *

A few days later, Jane was out of the hospital but now had to wear a sling. Maura had grown a slight fear of being alone since the incident, but she was thankful the Jane had too.

To sum things up, they hadn't left each other's sides since.

Maura was at the hospital the whole time with Jane, a nurse even set up a cot for her in the room. Once they went back to work, things got a little better. The work day was a little difficult, but mostly for Maura as she was frequently alone in the morgue and her office while Jane was with Frost and Korsak all day.

However, it got worse in the night.

They slept in Maura's bed, if you want to call it sleeping. For a majority of the night, the two women laid silently and wide awake, visions from that day flashing in both of their minds. Neither one of them sought to talk about it, but they both knew it was happening. Every little noise that came from outside or inside made them jump and Jane would often times quiver for a few moments. But one night in particular, the silence was suddenly broken. But not by just any noise.

"I'm not me without you."

Jane jumped at the sudden noise, and when she realized it was Maura talking she turned to the blonde who had quietly spoken. "What?"

"Jane, without you, I'm an emotionless brainiac. Scratch the emotionless part, I was a total wreck. I'm sure the only thing that kept me sane was the thought that that your mom would hear me if I had a breakdown. If I hadn't had you in my life at all, I would have nothing but sociopath boyfriends, or I'd probably be dead. And without you, I wouldn't have any Rizzolis in my house, and things would be quiet. Even though I used to embrace the calmness in my home, I hate silence now. But I've never been happier to hate something before. I need you, Jane. And I forgive you."

Even though she knew Maura wouldn't be able to see it in the darkness, Jane smiled. It was more of a cheeky grin, but she didn't care because she knew it was unseen. "You really forgive me?"

"Yes. Partially because without you I would most likely be dating Chris, unaware of his...dedication to relationships."

Jane laughed a little. "Hell, I owe my life to you. He would've killed me if it wasn't for you, Maur. You saved my life."

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